Sheffield Wednesday: Jones praises loan men

DAVE Jones is backing his three latest loan signings to be as big a success as another trio.

The new boys, Seyi Olofinjana, Steve Howard and Stuart Holden, have followed Danny Pugh, Jeremy Helan and Leroy Lita into the club.

“Danny, Jeremy and Leroy have been really good for us,” said Jones.

“If you look at the debuts of the three we brought in last week, you’d say they’re going to be ok as well.”

Olofinjana and USA-born Holden played against Barnsley, and Howard made his debut against Bristol City.

Jones reflected: “Seyi was outstanding last Saturday; he just wants to play.

“Stuart grew into the game; it took him a bit longer but the ball was bouncing all over the place.

“He’s been out a long time; he has that American attitude: he loves sport and wants to be successful.

“Steve was superb for an hour at Bristol, and made JJ’s goal with a little flick.

“He probably jumped ship from Leicester too soon; maybe for personal reasons he wanted to be further up north. I think he thinks it wasn’t the right thing for him to do.

“He’s definitely hungry.

“Every one of the loan players will be fighting to get back to where they were or to ply their trade elsewhere.”

Howard, on loan from Hartlepool, is challenging for a home debut against Blackburn today.

Jones has had to balance ins with outs. Chris O’Grady’s loan exit to Barnsley contributed towards the freeing of money that allowed him to bring in Pugh, Lita and Connor Wickham, who went back to Sunderland.

Barnsley are believed to be paying the whole of O’Grady’s wages. Jones will only say that his loan signings have been good value, and refuses to elaborate on that point.

But he did say: “We sometimes have to let one go to bring in two or three. We’ve been doing that all season. Most clubs have to do it. We have to cut our cloth accordingly.

“The six lads we’ve got in now are good value, and they’ve done what was asked of them.”

But Jones admits that he has a “nice problem” each week because only five loan players can be in a match 18.